April 2010

What an odd beer. I had a Creemore Springs Kellerbier just before this and am stunned how similar this 9% brew is. It pours a deep caramel with a cream foamy froth. One the nose, grain and a bit of spicy hop but then this real musky tone. In the mouth, caramel notes with some dry spice (clove and …

No. 1 in Beau's Wild Oat Series, Matt's Sleepy Time is styled as a Belgian Imperial Stout. I know Belgium had an empire once, I just didn't think we were talking about it all that much. • It pours a massive fine mocha head and I am drinking dry cocoa coffee nutmeg mousse to make room in the … read more »

I have been thinking more about this pre-1850 invention called "Albany ale" and I am a bit surprised to find so many references to it of one sort and so few references of another. The stuff was made in volume, transported and traded over great distances but now seemingly forgotten to memory. As we …

So I am nosing around looking for India pale ale references on Google news archives when I spot this one in a newspaper from 1847's Newfoundland to something called Albany ale. In hogsheads no less. • What the heck is it? It is listed in the The Public Ledger of 12 Oct 1847 amongst other … read more »

Not really. Not really at all. But as I am fascinated by the idea of London Skittles I can dream. I am fascinated by skittles, I think, as a pub game primarily because of the act of throwing a fairly heavy weight accompanies the act of drinking beer. We don't do that much anymore. We really don't …

I needed to dip into the stash. Back to 2007. A bad back curing, the seventh anniversary of blogging meeting the 47th birthday. And a new base ball bat. An 1870s base ball bat. For the annual RMC game. It's been a big week in a big month. • Is this the greatest beer I have ever had? At 11% I … read more »

Other than beer, of course. That is the problem with the whole breweriana thing - compared to beer, it sucks. Compared to everything else in the world, it's really great. • Like this poster. Knut of Norway (aka Norske Knut) sent it in the mail this week. Actually he sent FOUR copies of it - two …

I love reading liquor regulations as much as the next guy. More maybe. So, I was thrilled (thirlled!) to see that Ontario had passed Ont. Reg. 116/10 last Saturday. It comes with the exciting title "Minimum Pricing of Liquor and Other Price Matters" and, boy oh boy, is it ever about a bunch of …

I was not impressed when the UK's Labour government, now third in the polling for next month's election, announced their Minister of the Tavern idea a mere 675 or so weeks after they gained power. It appears that I am not alone, that the centrist Liberal Democrats, now near first place in the …

National Public Radio aired a good piece on Jolly Pumpkin and its brew Oro de Calabaza today. I think I have one left in the stash as well as a couple other of their beers. I may have to make a run to Michigan if I run out. I may have to. After all, a stash has to be worth calling a stash, right?

And it is in Zimbabwe. This account in The Times of London today by the son of the owners of the resort where the bar can be found is hilarious. Imagine coming home for a visit to run into this at the other end of the property: • ...from my left, a tall, beautiful girl, graceful as a gazelle in …

I don't subscribe to any beer journals but do pick them up from time to time. Even so, I have to back Jay over at Hedonist Beer Jive 100% on his post "The 5 Most Boring Topic in Beer Journalism." I love the line in #3 "Beer Advocate wastes four or more of their thin, scant pages every issue on …

I love the meaninglessness of beer trade categorization whether it's the 783 recognized craft beer styles or the many different ways macro-brew makers describe its monotony. But this great news just adds to the beauty of it all: • Convenience store beer buys dropped 4% in 2009, according to …

One of the beers that Marcel from Marche Omni called me back to get my hands on. Is this the beer to help my back? Is this, more to the point, marketing? It clearly is as Charlevoix has a few different brands - I recently had the imperial milk stout under their crazed cow brand. Dominus Vobiscum …

Well, that's a nice beer, Avery. The label says bottled in 2007 and at 9.46% (also according to the label) it not only has held up well, it is displaying fine form. Rich and mellowed yet still a big bomb. • It pours that beery mahogany we all like so well and sits under a rich thick lace leaving …

Hidden behind all the splendid simplicity of the tale of boy meets girl, boy meets glass boot, boy beats girl, girl trains, girl beat boy with glass boot, girl mocks boy is an incredibly important lesson in how to down 2 litres of beer when drunk from a glass boot. Turn it sideways.

...or the cottage or the house or maybe that savings account: • A beer mat enthusiast who spent a lifetime tracking down some of the world’s rarest mats has left his extraordinary collection to a close friend. Ian Calvert died two weeks ago aged just 48 after battling with Parkinson’s for seven …

I get lots of lovely emails. Many are about people wanting me to talk about their beer related products. Some are from people who want to place ads. But once in a while I get an email from someone who wants to know where they can get a good beer like Sergio from Brescia, Italy who wrote: • We … read more »

That is what the website says: "[w]e are three friendly and welcoming conservative evangelical churches, committed to hearing God speak through the Bible and prayer." That is great. I am a church going guy and the son of a minister so I like to read that happy positive sorta stuff. I especially …

For some reason "The Session" has not triggered that much continuing heated debate over the 38 months it's been going on. The Session, if you don't know, is the name for the once monthly universal beer blogging topic. It ebbs and flows as far as participation goes and recently has been on a bit of …

One of the reasons I am glad I called this a blog about "good" beer way back when is it is up to me and you to decide what is, in fact, good. If you and I disagree, we are still each right for our own purposes. "Good" has so much openendedness it is almost never bad. Few words are so useful in … read more »

I don't get that many six packs and even fewer sixes of cans but I just finished off a six of Dales Pale Ale that I picked up a few weeks ago when I was over to the other side. Apparently, they are actually called six pack rings or six pack yokes if you believe the internet. After I ripped off the …

Oh dear. The race apparently is on as Stan say Jay is going to pass me for blog posts. So I better start posting posts whether I like them or not. Maybe... maybe I will do posts about beer people and their birthdays. DAMN. Jay does that already! OK - beer people and their pets. Maybe. I will have …

Missed it entirely. The loss of RSBS continues to resonate as I missed the usual number of lead up warnings and notices about this month's edition of the Session hosted at Beer Search Party. I caught Jay's submission and that was it. Our host, Sean Inman, explained his purpose in this way: • One …

I found this article both a bit sad and a bit sensible. I have friend who runs to eat pie and I suppose it makes sense that there are any number of people jogging ("running" is so self-congratulatory) for the same effect: • “I think people who run sometimes use it as an excuse that they can do …

I just noticed this milestone after post number 1,997 ticked by and wanted to make mention. Even though there are posts back to May 2003, the stand alone beer blog was born with this post on Saturday, 23 October 2004. Three days later I was posting a list of a handful of other beer websites that I …

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Alan is apparently a Gen X-er who has hit 40... err...44... err... 45... YIKES... 46 ... [ZOW-WEE!!] 48... jessh, now 51... and edits and writes about other stuff at his personal website Gen X at 40. Please email Alan or any of the authors at this blog's gmail account - please write if you want to join the ranks of authors of this site or just want to send in a story on your favorite beer or photo of your regular pub.

I have moved the content of the OCB Commentary Wiki here. It is now a static document and pretty much is locked in as understandings existed as of 2012. Probably needs its own wiki to update the content! Below are the original introductory remarks:

"The purpose of this wiki is to collectively make comments, add annotation, identify errata and suggest further sources to the text of The Oxford Companion to Beer. Members are asked to avoid comment about the authors, the structure of the text or other extraneous matters. This wiki is a not for profit project that reviews the text pursuant to the concept of "fair dealing for the purpose of criticism or review" under Canadian copyright law." Alan McLeod, wiki Organizer, and chief bottle washer at A Good Beer Blog. Motto? "Many hands make pleasant work." Alan McLeod, 25 October 2011. Please provide some information about yourself when making a request to join the wiki. Anonymous requests for membership will not be approved. Overly ardent and rudely put claims to authority will be cause for removal from the membership. As of 11 January 2012, 134 entries or 12.2% of the total of 1,100 received commentary, many with multiple comments. Eight of the photos have been corrected as well. That number rose to 151 by 13 May 2012.